Title: Afterglow 41/57 (not a WIP)

Author: T. Claybourne  (t.claybourne@yahoo.com)

Rating: Rated R most chapters for violence and Language, some are NC- 17 for sexual content

A/N I'd like to thank my Beta Reader Hawera And muses Michelle Branch, Robbie Williams and Evanescence

Here come the Man with a look in his eye, fed on nothing but full of pride, look at them go, look at them kick, makes you wonder how the other half live INXS

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"Budapest, that's where we need to be, right f'ing now!"

"Mia, I understand you wanting to take care of this urgently, but frankly you cannot go off, as you Americans say, half-cocked, looking for these things. We still have no idea what we are dealing with and…"

"Mutu, Mot, Muth. Lord of death in ten different languages. Muddy, putrescent death. There were so many texts and different versions of it, this story is the best compilation I could put together. Mot, one of the ancient gods, slayed the god Ba'al, then Anat a warrior goddess came and split him in two with a sword, burned him with fire, winnowed him through a sieve, ground him between millstones then threw his remains on a field for birds to devour; but he came back years later, and the translation says, "devoured" his god brothers. Some of the texts referred to him as desire.

I spent all morning down in the library and I found it there. I'm pretty sure from my dream that he is taking these women as consorts. The creatures have to be servants or acolytes. We now know that they are allergic to silver, which actually burns into their skin. That gives us a weapon we didn't have before. Budapest is full of hundreds of thermal caves; I'm thinking that may be why they like it there so much. If we get there maybe Spike and I can pick off some of the acolytes; make it not so nice for them to stay there. If they have to keep on the move, it'll be harder for them to kill or grab anyone else. It will give you guys time for research and give us all some breathing space until we do have something more substantial to go on."

"Rupert old man, I would say she's fully cocked."

"Yes, as much as it pains me to admit it, you are right, Spike. She has done the research and the basis for her decision is valid. Are we all in agreement?"

"I've got her back any way this plays."

"I'm going again too," said Willow. "Locator spells for the caves will help and if there are as many as she says I'll need to be nearby, you know, as they say, in close proximity."

"Mia and I have talked. We have a few ideas for new weapons and we already have stuff we ordered from the internet," said Xander.

"I feel like I should be going, doing something," grimaced Buffy. "I always fight the scary types."

"You get to stay here and battle with the ones we deal with every day, Buffy," smiled Mia.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" frowned Dawn.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Willow grinned at Mia as they rode in the taxi. "I can't believe that we are actually in Romania; I've always wanted to come here. Do you think while we are here we might run into Dracula? This is his country, after all."

"Yep, Transylvania is up the road. We might. I've heard he has this long hair, deep penetrating eyes and that his accent is to die for."

"Yeah, I've seen him, but I would so tell on you to Xander. You know he doesn't like him very much after…oh right, you know about that. Still, it would be cool to see him again. He's such a famous vampire and everything."

"Maybe he and I could have a little discussion about Xander." Mia flashed Willow her demon face and quickly went back to human.

Willow giggled, "Yeah, maybe you could have a little vamped-slayer talk with that Dracula."

"Only reason I'd want to see him is to get my money. He still owes me…"

"11 quid, I know. You told me all about it when you explained to me that he was real."

Mia reached and traced the bite mark Spike had left on her neck when she was Emma. She remembered the conversation about Dracula, because she had been talking to Spike about taking a taste of her. That day, as Emma, she had asked Spike about him tasting Buffy because she could see the scars on Buffy's neck. He had told her that the bite marks were Angel's and Dracula's, not his. That was how she had learned that Dracula was real, not just a fictional legend.

Spike shook his head, then glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes, "Again with the memory."

Mia smiled at him, "Again."

"Mia, you know what would be funny: if we run into Dracula you could tell him that you've heard of the vampire that's a slayer of slayers, and ask him if Spike is real. I wonder what he would say?"

The taxi driver interrupted, "Dracula…. Americans always on about Dracula, no strigoi, no vampire, just stupid Americans." As he stopped in front of their building he looked back directly at Willow, who blushed.

Mia looked at Spike. "Spike, did he say, no strigoi, no vampires?"

"He did, pet," Spike motioned to the driver with his head and raised his eyebrow quickly.

"Come on," an embarrassed Willow reached for the door handle.

Mia got out quickly and went to driver's window with the money. Spike stayed seated in the front passenger seat. Mia knocked on the window. The driver rolled it down.

"You know, it's really not nice to call someone stupid, especially when you don't know what you are talking about. Spike, I feel a little strigoi coming on."

"What a bloody coincidence."

They both put on their game faces. Spike pulled out the driver's keys while Mia leaned in to his neck.

"Who's stupid now?"

The driver yelled out in fear as Mia scrapped her fangs across his skin

"Shut up, and tell her you're sorry for calling her stupid," Mia hissed.

He turned and started speaking Romanian.

"She's American, use English,"

"I sorry lady, I wrong, you no stupid."

Spike put the driver's keys back in and got out. Mia put her human face back on, kissed the driver's cheek and waved good bye.

Willow stood on the curb with all their bags. "Oh, my goddess. I can't believe you just did that, right in the middle of the street. I mean, it was all nice for me but so mean to him, really mean. He was so scared."

Spike raised his eyebrow, "Vampires, kind of the point."

"Ha, pun. Well, almost: fang, point, oh never mind," said Mia.

"You've been a bit off since we left London. Did you sleep at all last night, pet?"

"No, she didn't," said Willow.

Spike snorted, "Red, do tell."

Willow blushed again.

"She's blushing, Mia. Now why would that be? Me thinks you and the whelp were too loud."

"I didn't mean to say that. Well, not to Spike. I'm so sorry, Mia."

"No, I think I'm the one who should apologize. I guess we'll have to get you some of those Bose noise-silencing headphones."

Willow grinned and then gave a short nervous laugh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Willow did her magic and Spike and Mia followed her directions to the cave. It was a huge cavern, with a stone structure resembling a throne in the middle. They heard rustling, and hid. Three creatures came in carrying baskets. There was a stench about them. Two left while one stayed behind, stowing the goods from the baskets. Mia snuck up behind it and, using a thick silver chord they had brought with them, she hooked it around its neck and pulled. The chord melted through the thing's neck like butter, severing its head. The other two came running back. Spike vaulted over one, hooking his chord as he went, decapitating it as he completed his jump. The third circled them.

"You! How is it that you have caused the death of three of my brothers, beings that do not die? Are you she, the warrior goddess?"

"Oi. Over here, I helped a little."

The creature got confused: it lunged and grabbed Spike, lifting his body above its head.

"Hey," said Mia quietly. "Before you do that, do you want to see something?"

It turned its head. Mia pulled a syringe from her pocket, jumped and injected it into its eye.

The creature shrieked, stumbled, and dropped Spike. Then it stumbled some more, held its head, its eyes popped out, grey matter leaked from its ears and it fell over.

"Bloody hell, woman, what was that?" asked Spike as he got up, brushing himself off.

Mia was grinning from ear to ear. "Fucking awesome. Thank you, Anita Blake and Laurell K. Hamilton. That was silver nitrate."

"How did you know it would work?"

`"I didn't"

"I'm ten feet up in the air, and she doesn't even bleeding know if it will work."

They started walking out, their coats flying out behind them.

"You are such a baby sometimes. A syringe in his eye, at the very least that would give him pause. Duh! Besides you fell further than that in Paris. And lets be honest we both know even the slightest one would give you, being the vamp you are, all you needed to escape. "

"Silver chord worked like a bloody charm. Did you see that jump? And his head just came right off," grinned Spike as he made a chopping gesture with his hand. "That's why I'm ignoring your other comment…you know which one."

"You mean… you baby?"

Spike raised his elbow, moved it back in a swift move and smashed it into her nose.

Mia felt her nose. "No blood, what's with that?"

"I'm in a good mood."

"Me too. It's so much better when they aren't so indestructible….. Whoa, you were just thinking of that demon cyborg thing; oh, that was Adam. Buffy destroyed him. I guess she could destroy one of these too. But for some reason it feels, I don't know, not right, her up against one. But if you want her here, in the fight with you, then I do too."

"Bloody hate when you do that in-my-mind-thing."

"Sorry."

"I don't want her hurt or harmed in any way." Spike put his hand on Mia's shoulder. She closed her eyes and staggered into him a little.

"Buffy in Prague with us... another very strong vampire…. it hates her…I can only see the fangs, no face… you save her. …but… dust and tears on both our faces … she blames herself." Mia turned and gripped him by the shoulders.

"Buffy can't come, no matter what she says, even if she begs… or bribes you with sex, please, she can't"

He put his hands on either side of her face. "Hey, look at me, it's only a vision, pet. She won't come. And whether you want it or not you have me in this fight and all to yourself. You did from the day I saw your blood pooled on the floor in Amsterdam. Understand."

"Yes." Mia relaxed. "Then let's go straight to Prague."

"So Prague next. Did I ever tell you how much I hate Prague?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They all three agreed that they should go straight to Prague, so they did. Willow found a spot in the river and Mia and Spike, minus their coats but loaded with their weapons, jumped in. Not far from the surface was a cave, deep under the city, a similar cavern to the one in Budapest. There was no sign of the creatures or their master.

"So what now?" asked Spike.

Mia gave him a grin. "I have an idea."

"Oh no, that there is your evil grin."

Mia cocked her head a little. "I have an evil grin?"

"Yes you bloody well do. I am very familiar with it."

"You are? Do you think it's anything like that smirk of yours?"

"What smirk?"

"Come on, your hair is all soft and curly. I know you; you'll want to take care of that."

Mia and Spike went back to the apartment and made the necessary arrangements, and the next night they returned. This time they brought paint and brushes and paint rollers. They painted the entire cavern, floor included with silver based paint. After the job was completed they swam back out and pulled themselves, dripping wet, out of the river.

"Well Em, when you promise a man fun in Prague, you really deliver."

With a short laugh she replied, "At least I took you for a nice swim. Let's go dry off, get Willow and go out. I could use a huge drink and a little fun myself."

"Now you're bloody talking."

They chose a club. It was obnoxiously loud but the music was good and the alcohol cheap. There were types and nationalities inside. They finally got a table but Mia just put her coat down and headed to the dance floor.

"You should join her, Red, she's out there on her own."

"I need a little more of the beer first. Why not you?"

"Same as you." Spike held up his drink. " I just came for the booze anyway, not the dancing."

"And to watch the girls?"

"What?" Spike yelled back and motioned as if he couldn't hear her over the music.

"That's what I came for Spike. I won't tell Buffy, if you only look," said Willow in a normal voice.

Chuckling, Spike grinned at her, " Right then, if you see any interesting birds you point `em out to me, will you?"

Willow giggled. " OK, but if any walk by smelling all femaley, if you know what I mean, you tell me."

"So what, I'm to be a boost to your gaydar?"

"Yeah, sort of. You're an expert. If I have a guy right next to me with a nose that can smell everything, I should be able to take advantage. Mia'd do it for me but she is too busy boogieing.

"Red, I can't tell you how warm and tingly all this new acceptance from you is making me."

She smiled, "I think you know I accepted you a long time before now. I thought I'd made it clear how I felt in L.A. You've changed, Spike. There are feelings of liking for you almost all the time now. I have an occasional memory moment of you pre-chip from Sunnydale, but then I think of how you were after Dru took and sired Emma and….." Willow looked away.

" Hey, Will."

She looked back at him.

"We're supposed to be having fun here. How's about we take a look at those two over there?"

Willow looked at a woman with pale blonde hair almost Spikes color and very shapely breasts. She had a friend with her with a bit darker blonde hair and just as well built. They were both tall and leggy. Willow looked back at Spike and smiled.

"Swedish." Spike grinned. "I can hear them from here." Then he cocked his head just a bit and looked at her seriously. He reached across the table and briefly touched the back of her hand that was holding her drink. " About the other, your thoughts, thanks. "

Willow put her hand to her forehead. " I feel dizzy. Spike, slayer of slayers, William the Bloody, just thanked me."

He picked up her beer bottle and swished it round to judge its contents, then he stood took and downed the remaining contents of his own glass. " Well, Spike, the slayer of slayers, William the Bloody will be buying this round so you can thank him when he gets back."

" Oh goody. Smell that brunette for me while you are up at the bar."

Spike shook his head as he walked to the bar. Sometimes even he was shocked by how far they had all come.

~ ~ ~

Spike was just enjoying his drink and watching the place. He and Willow would from time to time point out a girl to one another but mostly they were both silent and just enjoying the atmosphere. He glanced out on the floor: a guy in slacks and a dress shirt had joined Mia. Spike concentrated to hear what he was saying over the music.

"You are American then?"

"Yes, and you?"

"Czech."

Mia continued to dance, moving her body to the music.

"I like American women very much."

"Oh, nice."

"Want to know why, lady?"

Mia moved away from him, continuing to dance. He worked his way back in front of her.

"I tell you why. I like American women because they like to fuck."

Mia cocked her head. "Czech women don't? How sad for their men."

"You want to fuck me?"

"Tempting, but no."

"You do."

"Funny, I thought I said no.

"I say you do."

"Didn't you just hear me? I said no."

The guy bent over pulled a nine millimeter gun from an ankle holster and put it to her back, trying to hide it with his other arm.

"Move or I shoot you."

"Here? Won't people get suspicious?"

The man laughed. "I know some of these people. I even pay some of these people. No one knows you and no one will remember anything in the morning, even if I shoot you right here. The truth is, if I start shooting some of the other dancers may die as well as you, so let's go."

Mia let the man start forcing her towards the door.

Spike stood up, jarring the table.

"What is it?" asked Willow.

Spike pointed to the guy with the gun.

"Geez!" She grabbed his hand, holding him back. "Don't follow her. You know Mia: she'll get mad if you go and rescue her."

"I'm not going to bleeding rescue…. her; I'm going to make sure she doesn't hurt…. him."

"Oh, right… Go."

Spike followed them out, delayed by having to dodge several club- goers. Willow grabbed Mia's coat and followed them.

The guy took Mia two streets down to an alley with a mattress at the end of it.

"Take off your clothes."

"No."

"I told you, the gun is loaded."

"I couldn't care less."

"I will shoot you."

"That's if I don't fuck you, right?"

"Yes."

"You are really good at scoring with the ladies, aren't you?"

He pushed her and held the gun to her head.

"Is your gun as big as your dick or bigger?" Mia pulled the gun down to her chest and held it there. "I bet the gun is much harder." She placed her hand around his hand holding the gun.

He fired. The sound was loud as it echoed in the alley

"Ow, that really hurt. It kind of burns."

He stepped back and fired again and again.

"You are kind of ineffective, aren't you? Maybe that's why you rape women."

Mia took two steps forward, reached down, grabbed him by the balls and squeezed until she heard a muted popping sound. He screeched.

"Oops, was that too hard for you? I've been accused of being rough." He started to shake and sprayed bullets all over the alley.

"Honey, you just misfire all over the place. It's all very sad for you."

"You! ... How? ... You are alive?" he squeaked out.

"Is there a Czech word to describe a creature that is undead, that stays out of the sunlight and feeds on blood?"

His voice was shaky, full of pain and fear. "Upir."

You know what? I like Czech men very much. You want to know why I like Czech men? I'll tell you: Czech men like to feed me. You want to feed me. You do. I can tell you do. I can smell it, the fear, the blood, and it smells so good.

Mia morphed into her demon face and stared at him for a moment. "See, I told you….you want to feed me." She grinned showing her fangs.

She watched as the man's eyes grew large and then she laughed with glee. She threw his head to the side and sank her fangs into his neck.

Spike had heard the gunfire and the screech and started to run, tracking Mia's scent and the man's fear. As he came around the corner Spike heard the words, `"I can smell it, the fear, the blood and it smells so good. See I told you…you want to feed me". When he reached the alley, he stopped for a moment, not really believing what he was seeing. He ran and punched Mia, throwing her against the wall.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

The man had fainted. There were fang marks and blood on his neck.

"Will it scar?" asked Mia getting up.

"What?" Spike was still staring at her in disbelief

"Will it scar? I wanted to leave a scar so that he will remember tonight forever."

"Oh, there's no bleeding chance he'll forget." His eyes had still not left her.

"Good. The bastard shot me, and before that he tried to rape me."

"Mia, did you actually bite him?" asked Willow, who had just reached them and was looking at the man's neck.

"I didn't feed. He was trying to rape me. If I had been anyone else, he would have raped them."

Spike glanced down at the man, and then stared at Mia again.

He shook his head and continued to stare at her silently for several moments. "Fuck."

Then he turned and walked away, his coat billowing behind him.

"You know, as long as I've known Spike, I've never, ever, heard him say that word," commented Willow.

~ ~ ~

Mia found him by the river. It wasn't difficult: his scent was hard- core wired in her.

"Spike?"

He didn't answer, continuing just to stare out over the river. Mia waited for several moments.

"Silence not your usual."

"Lot of things that aren't the usual going on tonight."

"I didn't feed."

"What if I hadn't stopped you?"

"I wasn't going to feed. There was no plan to feed."

"You say that, Em, but you were mad. We both sodding know how you are when you are mad and you had your fangs into him."

"I wasn't actually mad: I was more indignant. He's obviously done that before to other women, Spike. A man like that needs to know that all women are not made the same… some bite back."

"Em, you made me think you'd gone… and I'd have to …bloody hell, I can't even think about it." He stalked off.

She looked at the spot where he'd been. "I'm sorry." She looked off in the direction he'd gone. "I didn't mean to do that to you."

Mia went back to the apartment where Willow was waiting. "You find him?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"It made him think he might have to stake me."

"Oh. Bad memories. We were just talking about after Dru….never mind. Mia, just so you know, what you actually did, I think it was justice…."

"Willow, can we skip the talk? Could you just take the bullets out, so I can go to sleep?"

"Me! You want me to take them out?"

"Please. They will start to heal over. I know Spike would normally do this sort of thing but, well, who knows when he'll be back."

~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

Willow was cleaning up and Mia was already in bed when Spike came in. He looked at the bloody bullets and the mess.

" How many?"

"Two. Well, she said he fired in her chest three times but one must have gone all the way through."

Spike threw his coat on a chair, and sat on the couch. "It will look like mugging gone wrong. People saw her leave with him. We need to think about leaving tomorrow."

"He's not dead, is he?"

"No, I didn't kill him Red. I wanted to. I might have if he hadn't still been out cold when I went back."

"But you stopped… her. She's…. not allowed to kill."

"That's different"

"How? Explain it to me."

"I'm already a killer, she's…."

"Got the equipment but she's not permitted to use it. He had a gun and he shot her. If she weren't a vampire she'd be dead. If she were just a Slayer she'd be dead or raped. Giles said it: not only demons are evil, there are humans who are just as bad. Even though we humans have a system set up to deal with them it doesn't always work. I'm not advocating vigilantism, that is going to seek out the evil doer out, but if they knock at your door and say, "Hi , na,na na neener neener", well then that might be different. Just like in this case. Mia didn't set out to kill him, Spike. She wanted to do to him what he'd done to all those women he'd hurt before…. scar him for life. I personally think that's justice. She's a smart cookie."

Spike nodded.

"Yep, it's a good thing for us she's on our side."

Spike looked straight into Willow's eyes. "You are more right than you know. We would all be in a bleeding lot of trouble if Mia were ever to lose her soul." He sighed, "Will, did I ever tell you how much I hate Prague?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later that night Willow woke up to see Mia strapping on the sword Angel had given her. Willow was a little disoriented but then she realized that Mia was lacing up her boots.

Mia stood up and dug into her weapons' bag. Then she put her coat on and filled her pockets.

Willow sat up.

"Mia, I thought it was a dream. Are you going out?"

"Got to. See you later, Will."

She was out of the front door before Willow could say anything. Willow's stomach contracted, thinking of how Mia had looked in Amsterdam. She ran to Spike's door and pounded on it.

"Sod off!"

"No, get up, please. Please, Spike!"